The majority had not previously been on the police's radar and had not previously been arrested for sex offences.

None of those arrested is a serving or former MP or member of the government, according to the NCA.

Phil Gormley, deputy director general of the NCA, said: "This is the first time the UK has had the capability to coordinate a single targeted operation of this nature. Over the past six months we have seen unprecedented levels of cooperation to deliver this result.

"Our aim was to protect children who were victims of or might be at risk of sexual exploitation.

"A child is victimised not only when they are abused and an image is taken, they are victimised every time that image is viewed by someone."

A spokesman for the NCA refused to reveal the methods used to track down the suspects so that the same tactics can be used again in the future.

The NCA said suspects included doctors, teachers, Scout leaders, care workers and former police officers.

In total, only 39 of those arrested were registered sex offenders known to the authorities.

As part of the investigation, officers searched 833 properties and examined 9,172 computers, phones and hard drives.

While Mr Gormley refused to discuss the tactics used to snare the suspected paedophiles it is believed many of those arrested had been operating on the so-called Dark Web, a part of the internet, which has in the past been extremely difficult for the authorities to monitor and police.

But Mr Gormley said sex offenders should realise that they cannot avoid detection while using the internet, even the dark web.

"This operation has been about protecting children who are victims of, or might become victims of, sexual exploitation. Children are victimised not only when they are abused and the images first taken, but at every subsequent time that image is viewed by further offenders or distributed," he said.

Claire Lilley, head of online safety at the NSPCC, said: "This is an important two-pronged operation which has rescued children from abuse and also identified many previously unknown sex offenders. Direct action like this sends a strong message to those who subject children to harrowing sexual assaults that they can and will be traced and prosecuted.

"But law enforcement agencies alone cannot deal with the vast problem of illegal images which continue to flood the market. Industry has to find inventive ways of blocking the flow of such horrendous pictures which are only produced through the suffering of defenceless children - many of who are not even old enough to go to school.

"So while this operation must be rightly applauded we should view it as yet another warning sign that far more needs to be done if we are to stem the sordid trade in these images, which are often used by those who go on to abuse children."